Youth detained for stabbing maths teacher

A masked teenager who stabbed a teacher in a school corridor has been sent to youth detention for 14 months.

The 15-year-old boy, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, had previously admitted attempting to unlawfully and maliciously wound maths teacher Jamie Sansom.

The boy had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing a bladed article following the attack on July 10 this year at Tewkesbury Academy, in Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire.

Bristol Magistrates’ Court heard the youth had put on a snood and a hooded top to cover his face and taken a six-inch kitchen knife from his home.

Before confronting Mr Sansom he had told a friend to “wait until period one” and minutes before the attack dialled 999 to inform them a teacher at the school would be stabbed.

Imposing a 14-month detention and training order, District Judge Lynne Matthews told the defendant: “You were not acting impulsively.

“You took the face covering to school, you took the knife to school.

“You told a friend what was going to happen and you told the emergency services.

“Nothing strikes me about it that was impulsive.”

The judge said he would serve half the sentence in custody with the remainder at home working with the youth offending team.

The court heard the school was locked down for four hours as a result of the incident.

Two neighbouring schools were also asked to shut their doors as a “precaution” after the attack.

Mr Sansom, who has taught maths at the school since 2017, was discharged from hospital on the same day he was attacked and said he was “recovering well”.